March Partner Spotlight: Neighborhood Christian Centers

Engage – Stabilize – Empower – Grow

Driven by a Christ-centered mission, Neighborhood Christian Centers (NCC) goes far beyond in addressing the immediate physical needs of people facing poverty to provide a holistic approach to helping their neighbors in Memphis. At multiple sites across Memphis, NCC programs serve young children, adults, and families struggling to become educated, employed and self-sufficient. The leadership at NCC is focused on the bigger picture – empowering individuals to become their best selves. By supporting basic needs, they open the door for greater opportunities and goals to be set and achieved through the help of the staff and volunteers of the NCC community.

In looking at the variety of programs, it’s easy to see what NCC strives to accomplish in guiding “those in need toward stability and sustainability.” Their work takes no little effort, and requires the commitment of the people they aim to serve. This privately funded organization relies on the generosity of its donors and volunteers to help make lasting life changes for those who experience generational poverty. We spoke with Kiki Hall, Chief Development and Communications Officer, to learn more about Neighborhood Christian Centers and how this organization is having an impact in the Memphis area.

What is your role and how long have you been with Neighborhood Christian Centers?

I am the Chief Development and Communications Officer. I have been here just over one year. I love knowing that what every one of us does each day is positively impacting the lives of our neighbors in poverty.

We have programs that will educate and empower every member of a family in need. Our Compassionate Ministries provide basic needs of food, clothing, etc. to a family in crisis. Our Operation Smart Child program educates pregnant mothers on proper pre- and post-natal care to give babies the best chance at a healthy start to life. NCC’s YES (Youth Empowered to Succeed) program is to guide 5-25 year-olds through the matriculation of school with the goal of college or trade school completion and self-sufficiency. The WES (Women Empowered to Succeed)and Legacy programs target our adult men and women. This program is designed to give them the tools needed to stabilize their current situation and move toward sustainability through education or employment. Lastly, our Lovebuilders ministry promotes healthy relationships for married couples and their families.

What is the impact of Neighborhood Christian Centers’ work in your communities?

Last year, through one or more of our ministries, programs and outreach services, NCC served over 43,000 impoverished men, women and children in the Memphis area.

Do you have a special memory or story about NCC?

There are so many, but one day, when I was taking a class with other people in non-profit, a woman came over to me at the break, in tears, and told me that NCC basically saved hers and her children’s lives. She explained how she and her kids would not have survived, nor would she have ended up owning her own business, if it were not for the services and support and guidance that NCC had given her years before when she was an impoverished single mother. That story, along with the countless others from neighbors we serve, is at the forefront of my mind every day when I come to work. It helps me stay focused on what is really important and why we do what we do each day!

What are your hopes for the future of NCC? Anything new for 2017?

I hope and pray that we are blessed with the funding we need to continue our mission of guiding those in need toward stability and to change the trajectory of those children that are born into generational poverty. The more hope and “hands up” we can give to children and adults, the more lives we can change and the better our entire community will be.

We will be having monthly Mobile Pantry events in some of Memphis’s most impoverished neighborhoods where we provide food for up 300 families on a given day each month. During the summer, we will host hundreds of youth at our summer youth camps and our annual Compassionate Christmas campaign will result in giving food baskets to over 10,000 food-insecure families in the Memphis area. And, in 2018, NCC will celebrate its 40th year in service and ministry. So, we are in the planning stages for that exciting milestone!

How can someone get involved with your organization?

Please pray for NCC and the people we serve. Like us/follow us and share us on your social media. Volunteer with us, and, of course, donate and/or sign up for CaringCent!

What can you tell someone who is thinking about donating to NCC?

I would tell them that your donation, no matter what size, truly makes a difference to us. We do not receive any federal funding and rely solely on donations and private grants. We have 6 sites inside six of Memphis’s most underserved neighborhoods. We could not serve the neighbors there and help guide them out of generational poverty without raising the needed money to keep these sites opened each day. Every dollar donated goes directly to the services, programs and outreach efforts that we offer.

Learn more about Neighborhood Christian Centers – click here. Discover how one woman’s story inspired the growth of NCC to where it is today.